Macca

Reckon it's going to be like this every week right up until the last day 'Gv' ... all the teams in contention can drop points anytime - it's been that sort of season. And more than one of the 4 teams could go on an unbeaten run - but the teams will be chasing 3 points - a draw is now like a loss. Teams like my Hammers will want to throw a spanner in the works too (no pun intended!) ... It's been reported that Sakho will finally reappear in Thursday morning's clash against your lads ... should be a great game too. Sakho will probably make an appearance late in the game - he'll need to be guarded well. Same with Payet. I've got a feeling that Man City might mount a real charge ... but first they need to win at Anfield - no easy task. Arsenal just have to win vs Swansea too.

Agree with that 'dc' but I'm more than just a footy fan - I'm a sports fan so I'm therefore going to take a broader view. The worldwide PED issue is infinitely bigger than what went on at Essendon ... in fact, I believe that what went on at Essendon can be attributed to how things are worldwide - a flow-on effect per se.

If nothing else Goodwin has almost certainly had quite a wake-up call. Any coach or perspective coach knows that he himself needs to be on the up-and-up. If one was to put oneself in his position then one would know that there would be many viewing him with a discernible eye ... and not just from within our club. The stuff that went on at Essendon may end up making him an even better coach - in a way he has put himself on notice and therefore, there shouldn't be any comfort zones. Too many rookie coaches get carried away with themselves - their sometimes false sense of worth ends up getting in the way of coaching to the best of their ability. Goodwin has come in under a bit of a cloud but that can be a real positive. There's no room for big heads and I very much doubt that he will get ahead of himself. As always, a coach can only really be judged on how the team performs on the weekend. I wish him well. And not all who were pointing the finger of guilt at the Bombers treated the Essendon stuff in the same way - a number here treated it (and still do) in too much of a narrow way ... it became like Melb vs Ess for too many ... The broader picture is horrific and that's where the focus should lie (with regards to PED use) The AFL were always going to go into repair mode with the Bombers and it can't be any fun missing a whole year of footy and to be forever labeled as a drug cheat (and that's how many will view the 34)

Well, I've seen 7 of the 8 movies up for best film at the Oscars - all of them very good or better. Haven't seen Mad Max: Fury Road yet but will hopefully catch that film on the weekend Anyway, here's the 8 movies with my rating ... keep in mind that my interest in movies is quite eclectic so any genre can appeal no matter what the content. Click on any of the movies for the IMDB link. The Revenant 9.0 ... cinematography was spectacular in this not-so-classic Western. Really enjoyed this film. Bridge of Spies 8.5 ... cold war thriller with some great performances from Hanks & Mark Rylance The Big Short 8.0 ... explains the financial meltdown of 2007/08 in a user-friendly manner with some fine performances from Bale, Gosling & Carell Room 8.5 ... wow, this movie really was a terrific surprise - a worthy nomination. Brie Larson was quite superlative alongside a marvelous acting performance by Jacob Tremblay. Brooklyn 8.0 ... one for couples, and very well made. Saoirse Ronan was terrific in this fine film. The Martian 8.0 ... pure escapism and a lot of fun. A feel-good movie which leaves one well satisfied. Spotlight 8.5 ... a superb exposé on a story that needed to told. A terrific ensemble cast headed by Michael Keaton & Rachel McAdams. Mad Max: Fury Road (haven't seen) And here are all the other nominations in the various categories Edited just now by Macca

Man Utd lose to Midtjyland (who?) in the Europa League ... what is going on at Old Trafford? Anyway, the rumours are getting stronger that Mourinho will be managing United ... what other high profile managers would be available anyway? I'm not sure he's a great fit but there's no denying the impact he continually has wherever he has gone (his tenures' also only seem to have a shelf life of about 3 years) This article from the Daily Express indicates that he'll end up at Man Utd but who knows?

Here's a couple that I came across randomly ... don't know a great deal about either band but both songs have got a nice driving rhythm ... could have almost gone on the jazz thread but this thread will do.

Outside of the UK there are the fierce rivalries in Milan and Madrid (AC & Inter as well as Athletico & Real) There's probably a stack more but I've heard that there's any number in Argentina & Brazil. Not forgetting the Man Utd & Liverpool rivalry which goes way back. As for the title race, Man City won the title after coming from 8 points behind 2 years ago but ... they'll need to get on a winning streak asap. One could make a case for any of the top 4 teams prevailing ... I'm hoping it comes down to the final match-day (which, for those who don't know is May 15th - Sunday night ... midnight AEST) ... so, we've 3 more months left - it's a long season.

Now we're set for the run in to the finish ... every week the order of the top 4 might change. FA cup (round 5) next weekend but here's the EPL schedule for the next 30 days. It's worth repeating that Leicester are the only team amongst the top 4 who have Premier league commitments only. Injuries aside, the foxes can pick their best team without having to worry about resting any of their players (in theory) Spurs vs Arsenal in a duel to the finish? Are there 2 groups of fans who dislike each other more intensely? Man City need to get on a roll ... they've already lost 7 games and their next 2 (EPL) are @ Newcastle then @ Liverpool.

Yeah, I'd already thought that one through 'GV' (kinda, sorta) I don't believe it dilutes the EPL that much but it would resurrect the FA cup (in theory) ... so, it's not so much robbing Peter to pay Paul but more making sure that there are 2 competitions in England that are absolutely viable and vibrant. The whole idea is to lift the FA to it's once former glory ... the idea is one that I'm passing on too - it's thrown up a lot in England and has been bandied about for a number of years now ... the other bit to remember is how UEFA would view such a scheme. It's now getting to a point where more & more of the fans of the big clubs see the FA cup as clogging up an already busy schedule - the talk is constantly about qualifying for Champions league - well, give the FA cup winner the 4th Champions league spot and those fans would then want their club to win the FA cup (again, in theory) By the way, whilst I'm very happy that my Hammers defeated Liverpool in the 4th round replay a couple of days ago, it should be noted that Liverpool played an under strength side themselves (as they did in the first encounter at Anfield) The idea would make it a lot harder for a battling club to win the FA cup but back in the day when the FA cup was treated very seriously, the winner wasn't always one of the bigger clubs. Oddly enough, of the big clubs, (the money clubs) only Liverpool are missing from the 5th round this year ... but, most or all of the big clubs have been playing 2nd string sides for years now (with the odd exception - Arsenal?) The fans are torn between wanting to see some silverware whilst keeping a firm eye on higher stakes. Fifth Round draw 1. Chelsea v Man City 2. Reading v West Bromwich Albion 3. Watford v Leeds United 4. Shrewsbury v Man Utd 5. Blackburn v West Ham 6. Tottenham v Crystal Palace 7. Arsenal v Hull City 8. Bournemouth v Everton

It might be Washington's year ... they've only lost 13 games (including o/t losses) which is 7 better than the next best record ... they score freely and have by far the biggest goal difference. A few of the usual suspects are thereabouts as well (Blackhawks, Kings, Bruins, Rangers et al) Florida have been impressive and San Jose is quietly making a bit of a run at it. Dallas & St Louis are looking good too. Pittsburgh are another team that is starting to come good (7-2-1 in their last 10) I'm hangin' for the playoffs though - or at least the last month of the regular season.

Hammers knock of Liverpool (again) in the FA cup ... Blackburn next I reckon the only way the FA cup can be brought back to it's former glory is to offer the 4th Champions league spot to the winner of the cup ... ok, it's a "playoff" spot for the group stages in the Champions league but it would be a big incentive, all the same. Every year we hear the same complaints about most of the Premier league teams not putting out their best teams in the FA cup but that's not going to change unless those clubs are incentivised. The Premier league with all it's riches rules (big $$$$'s for just being involved, Champions league spots)

The Americans are even worse ... some stadiums are virtually empty by the end of some games. I've also heard that a lot of NBA fans (at the games) are in the bars until half time.

Such is the nature of soccer that it's altogether possible that Leicester could play really well at Arsenal next Sunday and lose the game ... their last 3 games of the season are tough too. But the other 3 sides in contention have a fair bit on their plate too. However, Arsenal will do well to get past Barca in the Champions league and Spurs might decide that the Europa league is too much of a distraction. Man City will probably get past Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions league.

Leicester have got 13 games left with 2 fortnight breaks ... they stay healthy, they can win it. Conversely, the Spurs, Gunners and City have up to 26 games ahead of them (counting Champions league, Europa league, FA cup and League cup commitments) That is a significant advantage in terms of keeping players fresh (esp at the tail-end of the season) ... however, Leicester could ill-afford to lose Vardy, Kante or either of their 2 big centre-backs (Morgan & Huth) It's going to be a fascinating run in.

Yeah, it was certainly a moment he won't forget easily ... mainly because he's going to be reminded about it (not diving on the ball when the ball was stripped late in the game) His press conference was a mess but that's who he is - he's a villain to many but that's not such a bad thing for the sport. It will be interesting to see whether Carolina can bounce back - teams are going to go after them like Denver did. I suppose any team will need the defensive weapons to do that but the pressure will come at them, nonetheless. The other thing that was strange was that the Panthers didn't at least attempt a hail-mary at the end (there was about a minute left on the clock) ... they quite literally had nothing to lose and if it came off they could have tried an on-side kick. Even if it didn't quite make the distance, they could have at least been in the red zone or close to it. I was watching on ESPN and they didn't even show the last play (the cameras were on Manning etc) Their whole offense lacked a plan B really. For instance, Newton probably could have run more with the ball. Short cut-out passes could have been tried more etc etc.

He's heading for a huge pay day ... the mindset is take the money when it comes their way - and I don't blame the players in the slightest. A lot of teams resign themselves to losing certain players - it's often all very matter of fact. I don't know Denver's salary cap situation but much might depend on whether Peyton goes on.

Ha! Not sure if that's the up-to-date SB ring but it looks fine.

Well, only a couple of us tipped the Broncos (on time ) so congrats to JV7 (Back to Back wins!) and myself on winning the post-season tipping comp. Final Tally 8 - JV7, Macca 6 - cowboy_from_hell 5 - DeeSpencer, Gorgoroth 3 - Peter Griffen, Cards13 (both only participated in final week) Regular Season Tipping Competition Year Winner Runners up 3rd place 2013 cowboy_from_hell/ pantaloons/ Gorgoroth Strafford Macca ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2014 Dappa Dan DeeSpencer Gorgoroth ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 Gorgoroth cowboy_from_hell, Macca JV7, DeeSpencer ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post Season Tipping Competition Year Winner Runners up 3rd place 2013 titan_uranus DemonDave cowboy_from_hell/ Macca ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2014 JV7/ pantaloons Gorgoroth/ Go the Biff Macca ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 JV7/ cowboy_from_hell, Gorgoroth/ Macca DeeSpencer -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well done to the Broncos and if you're reading this Cards, congrats ... nice to see a fellow Demon get some sporting joy!

Yep, they were relentless. I suppose Denver did learn a lot from that SB against Seattle ... defence wins championships and this game was a great example of that thinking.

A double for Peyton ... good on him and the Broncos. They've been the superior team and the Panthers were just outplayed ... perhaps Carolina were overawed but that would be taking credit away from the Denver D.

Newton backed off and didn't dive on the ball - what was he thinking?

The refs haven't paid pass interference much (if at all) It's going to have to be absolutely blatant

The Panthers need to get some sort of score on this play (stating the obvious )